Dual maintenance is a common challenge for businesses on their transition to SAP S/4HANA. Defined as the synchronization of changes between an existing system and a new system during a migration, it ensures consistency across parallel landscapes, minimizes project risks and maintains operational continuity.

In a recent webinar, David Lees, CTO, and Ross McLanachan, Principal Delivery Consultant, discussed the intricacies of dual maintenance, its challenges and how automation can transform this traditionally resource-intensive process. Watch the full webinar here. Or read on for an overview.

The different migration approaches

There are three migration strategies available for transitioning from SAP ECC to S/4HANA:

1. Brownfield: This “big bang” approach retains all data, history, and custom code, making it ideal for systems already close to SAP standards.

2. Greenfield: A fresh start, either migrating from a non-SAP solution or an ECC deployment. Only essential master data, open items, and balances are transferred, leaving behind irrelevant historical data and outdated custom code.

3. Hybrid (Bluefield): Combining elements of both, this approach allows selective data transfer and system optimization. It’s particularly effective for landscape consolidation or phased migrations, avoiding the disruption of a full system overhaul.

How can dual maintenance present a challenge to businesses?

It’s a vital part of an SAP S/4HANA migration, but businesses often run into a few hurdles when it comes to managing dual maintenance.

· High volume of changes: ECC systems may undergo hundreds or even thousands of application changes during the project, most of which must be mirrored in the S/4HANA environment

· Manual effort: Traditional methods rely on spreadsheets and manual tracking, leading to errors and inefficiencies

· Code compatibility: Differences in system architectures require adjustments to ensure migrated code functions correctly in the S/4HANA environment

· Conflict management: Overlapping changes across ECC and S/4HANA systems can cause conflicts, increasing complexity

How automation supports dual maintenance

Automation can significantly ease the challenges above by reducing manual effort and ensuring greater accuracy in managing dual maintenance.

Here’s how:

1. Automated synchronization

Automation tools, such as Basis Technologies’ ActiveControl, enable synchronization of ECC changes with S/4HANA systems. Organizations can choose from two main synchronization approaches: post-development or post-production.

During post-development synchronization, changes are mirrored immediately after they’re created in ECC, allowing earlier visibility in S/4HANA. However, untested changes might introduce risks.

For post-production synchronization however, changes are mirrored after going live in ECC, ensuring stability but delaying visibility.

Both approaches have their merits, and automation allows flexibility in choosing the best strategy based on the organization’s needs.

2. Conflict analysis and management

Automated conflict analysis identifies and resolves overlaps in changes made to the same objects across ECC and S/4HANA systems. This prevents unintentional overwrites and ensures smooth synchronization. ActiveControl’s inline conflict analysis, for instance, notifies developers in real-time about changes to the same object in parallel environments, promoting early resolution and collaboration.

3. Object splitting and dependency management

Object splitting ensures that only relevant changes are synchronized between systems, avoiding unnecessary complexity. Automation tools can identify and separate objects that require remediation in S/4HANA from those that don’t, increasing the proportion of changes that can be automatically dual maintained. Additionally, tools like ActiveDiscover help map dependencies within custom code. This ensures that shared or interconnected objects are correctly identified and migrated, avoiding operational surprises.

4. Custom code optimization

It’s important to distinguish unused or obsolete custom code before migration. Studies show that up to 60% of custom code in legacy systems is unused. Automation can therefore:

· Track usage over time to confidently identify obsolete code

· Highlight dependencies to ensure critical components aren’t inadvertently removed

· Identify adjustments needed for S/4HANA compatibility, including compliance with SAP’s Simplification Database

5. Parallel imports for high-volume changes

Organizations with high transport volumes benefit from features like parallel imports. This allows multiple transports to be safely deployed simultaneously, reducing bottlenecks and accelerating project timelines.

Example of a successful S/4HANA migration

An SAP S/4HANA migration within a multinational consumer goods organization showcases the tangible benefits of automation. Using ActiveControl, they achieved:

· A reduced project timeline, completing the migration in in 14 months instead of 18

· Minimal transport import downtime, cutting it from 12 hours to just 4 hours

The company’s success shows the power of automation in driving efficiency and cost savings during complex migrations. To find out more about how automation helps businesses manage dual maintenance, read our eBook here.

What to consider post-migration

Even after going live with SAP S/4HANA, automation continues to play a vital role.

SAP’s shift to a two-year release cycle necessitates ongoing upgrades. Automation simplifies upgrade preparation, including dependency mapping and conflict resolution.

At the same time, maintaining a ‘Clean Core’ ensures custom solutions remain decoupled from SAP’s standard functionality, enabling faster, less disruptive upgrades. Tools like Basis Technologies’ ActiveDiscover and ActiveControl enforce Clean Core principles by automating code compliance checks, reducing system pollution, and ensuring long-term system stability.

Learn more about dual maintenance

Dual maintenance should not become a blocker for organizations on their S/4HANA migrations. Automation is now a strategic imperative to reduce manual effort, minimize risks, and achieve seamless transitions.

To hear more on this topic, you can watch the webinar on demand here.